Books

Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sympathizer Viet Thanh Nguyen called on 17 fellow refugee writers from across the globe to shed light on their experiences, and the result is The Displaced, a powerful dispatch from the individual lives behind current headlines, with proceeds to support the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

Upon arriving at a refugee camp with her father, young Lubna picks up a pebble on the beach. Shiny and smooth with a drawn-on smiley face, Pebble quickly becomes a great source of comfort for her. When little Amir arrives at the camp alone and scared, she must decide if she can part with Pebble to help him. With stunningly imaginative illustrations and poignant text, Lubna and Pebble is a beautiful story about friendship, solace, and resilience.

Since the war in Vietnam, Hmong people have created exquisitely embroidered “story cloths” that tell stories of their history and culture. Gorgeous embroidered cloth scenes, stitched by Dia Cha’s aunt and uncle, illustrate this story that’s based on the author’s real-life journey with her family from China to four years in a refugee camp in Thailand, then to the United States. A teacher’s guide and lesson plan provide some context for readers unfamiliar with Hmong history and culture.

In 1996, just months after the end of the blood-soaked Bosnia and Herzegovina war, seventeen-year old Savo Heleta came face-to-face with the man who had tried to kill his grandfather and terrorized his family during the war. This man was no faceless enemy. His name was Meho, and he had been a friend of the Heleta family. Now, after the war, Savo still had nightmares about him. Savo and his family had endured unspeakable terror at the hands of the very people they once trusted, and all Savo wanted was revenge against those who had betrayed him.